Buying a six foot sub seemed like a great idea. We were celebrating the beginning of summer and the new seniors of North Fort Myers High School.

My daughter and I laughed as we explained to the young girl behind the meat counter that we were vegetarians and to put whatever meat she thought was good into the sub but please leave a small section with just cheese for us. Little did I know the cheese would come back to haunt me. And not in the way you may think.

The next day I was up early making cookies and vacuuming. I had precious few hours before I had to pick up my son at school, pick up the monster sub and come home to a house full of teens. While driving, Will Smith’s SummerTime, came on the radio. Immediately I was taken back to my last days of school at Elizabethtown Area High School. Kids rushing through the hallways, papers littered on the floor, lockers slamming and students loitering in the parking lot trying to decide where to congregate – the park or McDonalds? For a few minutes I felt the excitement, I remembered.

Next thing I knew I was pushing a cart with two three foot sections of sub stretching across the front, knocking into passersby. Kai, my son, refused to walk next to me because apparently a six foot sub is very embarrassing.

When Kai and I opened our front door carrying our sub and saw five teens sitting in the kitchen suddenly I felt the too much food panic. What was I going to do with all this meat? It’s a vegetarian’s nightmare! I immediately began cutting the sub into manageable pieces to store in the fridge. Teens sat around me talking but I was oblivious to their conversation. My mind was swirling, I was tired from two days of preparations for the party and now I had a massive amount of meat, cheese and bread to deal with. Oh and the DirecTV guy was knocking on the door. He told me he couldn’t complete his work on our TV and I offered him a sandwich.

After he left I went back to my cutting. A familiar voice brought me out of my world. “It’s okay mom, I’ll do it. I’ll put the sub in the fridge.” Arielle gave me the look that clearly meant it was time for me to leave. This was a party for teenagers not moms. I disappeared wondering if the sub was really going to get wrapped properly and put away. Wondering if she noticed how beautifully I had decorated the dining room table with my homemade cookies, brownies, and tons of candy. Wondering what I was going to do for the rest of the afternoon and evening.

Hours went by and I crept about my house occasionally texting my friend asking when she was planning on coming and keeping me company. I bribed her with… guess what? A sandwich with meat and a refreshing Mike’s Lemonade.

If I heard voices by the pool, I would swoop downstairs for a covert cleaning operation in the kitchen. Cover exposed food, throw away paper plates and candy wrappers and wipe up the floor after wet feet and dripping bathing suits. Cars parked, teens came and went and still my fridge was packed with sections of sub.

Eventually my friend and her husband arrived to house full of teens, a snarling dog, and Heart and Soul being pounded out on our piano. I came barreling down the stairs first to rescue them from my obnoxious adult hating dog and then to hug them and thank them for keeping me company after five hours of hiding. They pointed to my ceiling. My air conditioning unit was dripping from all the humidity that was being let into the house but that was not the most important problem of the day. I smiled. “How about a sandwich?”

The next morning I came downstairs to kids sleeping on my couches and a very messy kitchen counter and dining room table. Arielle would be busy when she woke up. I started the coffee, opened the fridge and sighed. Still too much sandwich. Ollie and Nahla looked up at me with their pleading eyes. HMM. I grabbed some sub and tossed it to them. Ollie followed me upstairs.

Finally the house was quiet and I could write. Then Ollie began making a strange noise. I turned around and couldn’t believe it. He had taken the cheese from the sub and was trying to bury it in my carpet. I laughed because the famous bumper sticker came to mind: My dog is Smarter Than Your Honor Student. Well, maybe not Ollie.

I went to get a paper towel to clean up his mess and when I returned the cheese was gone. I know he didn’t eat it. He hid it. I searched my writing room – nothing. Oh great! Now,there is no ending to my sub problem. Not until the day I stumble upon Ollie’s glob of moldy cheese. Next time, I’m ordering pizza.

Well, Krista. I think it will amuse you to learn that I assumed, before reading your post, that the sub in question was a submission. And I wondered why it was haunting you. I’m relieved it was a sandwich, not a novel.

That sounds like it was quite a time! My goodness! The cheese actually reminded me of the episode from “Everybody Loves Raymond”, the “Suitcase” episode. Ray was having to pack for a work trip and a suit case they used a month ago was still sitting at the bottom of the stairs. Both Ray and Debra were waiting for the other to take it up and put it away. Well, Ray had received a gift package of a variety of cheeses. One in particular was foul in itself. Before he left for his trip using his grocery bag luggage, he took this cheese and placed it in the suit case. A day or so later, his mother comes over and is overwhelmed by this strange “aroma”. Debra said she had been smelling it too. They followed the smell and Debra found the cheese in the suit case. Ray’s mother told Debra that’s no place to keep cheese! Anyway, I could go on about this episode, but that’s what your cheese story brought to mind. I’m glad Arielle had a good time though!